The Indianapolis Colts moved above .500 for the first time this year with a convincing win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, keeping themselves in first place in the AFC South. Here's everything you need to know from the game:
Notes:
Indianapolis moved to 4-0 with backup quarterback Matt Hasselbeck starting for the injuried Andrew Luck. He passed for 315 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Tampa Bay failed to move above .500 for the first time since 2012. They are now 5-6 on the year.
Colts kicker Adam Vinateri made four field goals, extending his streak to 16 consecutive made. He is now two away from passing Jason Hanson for third place in career field goals made.
Quotes:
"We can be as good as anybody in the National Football League." - Colts head coach Chuck Pagano.
"We've just to come out with urgency. The first half went good. We came out kind of flat and that's on me. I've got to get us going." - Tampa Bay quarterback Jameis Winston.
"Just take it as one loss and get over it. We realize that we can attain our goal of getting to the playoffs. We just have to come back and beat Atlanta. We can't let this linger. We just have to treat it as one game and move on and get ready for the next game." - Bucs safety Chris Conte.
Observations:
The Colts are in great position to get a Wild Card spot if they don't win the AFC South. Indy is currently tied with Houston for first in the division, and while they're expected to win it, their season won't collapse if they don't. Only the Patriots, Bengals, and Broncos have better records than them in the AFC after the Colts' three-game win streak, putting them in an enviable position that didn't seem possible four weeks ago.
Tampa Bay has to stop beating themselves. The Bucs lead the NFL in penalties and killed themselves with that again in this one, committing 12 for 95 yards. Those flags killed several of their own offensive drives and kept a few of the Colts going, which they don't have the talent (yet) to overcome. This has to stop if they want to make the playoffs.
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